


Daughter Thief

by tgtwDA (theghoulthatwrites)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Other, aint it catchy?, and i like the name phoebe so, phoebe rutherford, this is???? i like cullen with a daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:06:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7247803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theghoulthatwrites/pseuds/tgtwDA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a normal day for Fiana until her husband bursts through the door claiming their daughter has been kidnapped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day in Skyhold. The sun shone through the large windows of the war room, a soft wind blew through the smaller open ones. Fiana was bent over the massive table, switching her gaze between the map and a stack of papers held in her right hand - her only hand. They were so close to locating Solas, or rather, Fen'Harel, and Fiana could feel it. Something within her bubbled with excitement at the thought of stopping the ancient elf's plans for the world, whether she was physically capable or not. The science was peaceful as Fiana studied the documents in her hand. 

The science was shattered as the heavy door banged open and the former commander of the Inquisition barged in. His face was a cross between anger and fear. His skin was pale, but his eyes were hard.

Fiana's head darted up, startled by the loud noise. She registered his demeanor and straightened, alarmed. "What's wrong, Cullen?"

"Phoebe is gone."

Cullen sounded panicked, even though his expression didn't reflect the emotion in his voice. Fiana's eyes widened considerably. As the former Inquisitor she had made a plethora of enemies over the years and she didn't believe any of them to be so morally responsible that they wouldn't consider taking her child. Although she and Cullen had been very careful with who their daughter met and where she traveled. 

"What do you mean gone? She was fast asleep with the dog, I checked on her!" 

Cullen threw up his hands in exasperation. "I don't know Fiana; she wasn't there and Schaffer couldn't lead me to her." The former commander seemed to crumble, no doubt blaming himself for letting their daughter be taken. 

Fiana set down the documents and rounded the table. Stopping inches away from her husband she reached up and cupped his cheek, forcing him to meet her eyes. "We'll find her Cullen," she promised. She would employ any kind of tactic she knew as an assassin to find her daughter. And she would kill if need be.

She waited until Cullen nodded sullenly before taking his hand and dragging him out of the war room. They split up in the great hall, with a promise to meet up in the garden in fifteen minutes.

Wandering the castle, Fiana recruited anyone who wasn't busy to help find the lost girl. She smiled fondly when Cassandra and Varric, both visiting, vowed to put a sword or bolt through the poor bastard that kidnapped the Inquisitor's daughter. After checking the whole interior of the castle to no avail, Fiana hastened towards the garden hoping she would find Phoebe or that the little girl would be waiting with her father for her.

The garden was eerily quiet, the wind rustling the branches and herbs growing there. The afternoon sun warmed the air, giving the garden an ethereal feel. A faint tinkling of laughter drifted through the small garden, so faint that even Fiana's assassin trained ears had to strain to fully hear it. 

Slowly the giggling increased in volume and Fiana followed it silently. It lead her to a small, out of the way gazebo shoved in a back corner of the garden. The small structure was overgrown with vines and bushes but there was a path pounded into the grass leading under the roof. There was a strange orange glow shining through the leaves and vines.

Just as Fiana was about to approach the gazebo she caught sight of Cullen entering the garden. She waved him over and put a finger to her lips, telling him to stay quiet. She bent low and tip-toed towards the gazebo; the laughing had turned into excited squealing. 

Fiana took a deep breath and burst through the bushes, hand on the knife she kept on her belt. It took her a moment to fully absorb the scene in front of her.

Phoebe was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, clapping ecstatically. Her small face was alight with pure joy as sparks of fire danced in front of her. Kneeling in front of the young girl was a very familiar Tevinter Magister by the name of Dorian Pavus. The man held his hand out, palm up, and was creating a miniature firework display to entertain the girl. There was a gentle smile on his face.

"Dorian!" Both Fiana and Cullen cried in surprise. The pair under the gazebo jumped and turned to see the new arrivals.

"Mama, Papa! Uncle Dorian made fire for me!" Phoebe bounced over to her father's legs and molded herself around them. 

"Hello there, Inquisitor, Commander." Dorian grinned mischievously, straightening and folding his arms over his chest. "It certainly has been a while, has it not?"

Fiana was quicker than her husband in shaking off the surprise. Instead of getting angry, she sighed. "Andraste's ass, Dorian, you need to stop visiting without notice and taking my child!"

"What!" Dorian feigned hurt. "But she's so cute!"

"Wait one blasted moment," Cullen growled, shaking his head. "You mean this has happened before?! Maker, why didn't you tell me, Fiana?"

"Uh, well, it happened a couple times while you were away on missions." Fiana shrugged. "She was found in each time, so it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that-"

"Mama, Papa, look what Uncle Dorian taught me!" Phoebe chirped from below, interrupting her parents. She waited until she commanded the attention of all adults in the vicinity of the gazebo. When she did, she spread her feet apart and squared her shoulders. With an intense look on concentration, small nose scrunched up, Phoebe clapped her hands together. Small, miniscule sparks erupted around her hands for a split second and disappeared almost as fast as they appeared.

"Neat, huh?" Phoebe looked between her parents, waiting for their reactions.

Fiana and Cullen stared down at their little girl in shock. Not only was she a mage, which didn't make sense because neither of them were mages, but she had already learned how to use some magic. Fiana's eyes darted to Cullen and she thought he was going to faint, but instead he clenched his jaw and glared at Dorian ferociously. 

"Uh, Dorian?" Fiana turned to her closest friend, worry in her eyes. "You might want to start running."

Dorian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cullen. He paled slightly. "You might be right, Inquisitor. As it happens, I believe there is something very urgent I must attend to back in Tevinter. It was fabulous to see you all again!"

The Tevinter snapped his fingers and, in a puff of smoke, was gone, teleported safely out of reach of the fuming commander.

As Fiana tried to calm her husband, she wondered if she knew just how lucky Dorian was to be a mage and have the ability to run away so quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

"Our daughter is a mage?" Cullen looked as though he was about to faint.

 

The couple had sent Phoebe to be entertained by Varric while they retreated into Cullen's office to talk about what just happened in the garden. The news that their one and only child was a mage sent a shiver of alarm through Fiana, but it did not throw her into a panic as it did her husband.

 

"What do we do now? We can't just trust that she'll learn to control it on her own…" Fiana pinched the bridge of her nose; she could already feel the headache this new development would bring.

 

"Well isn't that obvious, Fiana? Contact Vivienne; we have to send her to the Circle!"

 

"No!" Fiana abruptly stood up and faced Cullen, her hands on her hips. "I will not send my only child to that… Prison!"

 

Cullen was taken aback slightly. They had never really talked about their views on the Circle of Magi, but he was still surprised by Fiana's heated denial.

 

Fiana paced back and forth, mumbling under her breath. "We can contact Dorian, he can tell us what to do."

 

Fiana took the communication crystal from around her neck and activated it, relieved when Dorian's handsome face appeared in the chunk of crystal.

 

"Ah, Inquisitor, what can I do for you?" He asked in his smooth voice.

 

"We have a bit of a… situation, Dorian," Fiana threw Cullen a dirty look when he snorted. "And we could use your advice."

 

"Our daughter is becoming an abomination!" Cullen growled. His former templar roots were starting to grow again with the thought of such a fate happening to his own child.

 

"Nonsense, I saw her only a few hours ago, she was no abomination." Dorian waved a hand carelessly before fixating on Fiana's worried features. "I take it our dear Phoebe is a mage, then?"

 

Fiana nodded.

 

"Oh, wonderful! There is always a need for more mages in Thedas!" Dorian cheered gleefully. "What shall you do with her? You may send her to me, of course, but I cannot leave Tevinter at the moment. Maevaris has already scolded me for my little outing to see my godchild."

 

"What?"

 

"Oh yes, she was very angry with me for- ah, I take it you meant that I cannot leave Tevinter. Regretfully, your little angel will have to stay in Tevinter for a while to be trained by me. I can only sneak away long enough to pick her up from you," the necromancer informed the parents.

 

Fiana looked at her husband's face, contorted with rage. She felt a shiver run down her spine; it had been a very long time since she had seen that look on Cullen's face. She turned back to the communication crystal, "I'll let you know soon, Dorian. Thanks."

 

She deactivated the crystal and sighed, preparing to face her husband's wrath.

 

"You want to send our daughter to Tevinter to train with that blood mage?" Cullen hissed, enraged.

 

Fiana flinched as if his question had struck her. "First, Dorian is not a blood mage, he is a Necromancer," she pointed out weakly.

 

"Oh, that's perfectly normal, he only RAISES THE DEAD!" Cullen yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "Fiana you cannot seriously expect me to go along with this plan."

 

Fiana took a deep breath. "Yes, Cullen, I do."

 

"Unbelievable!"

"Cullen, what other choice do we have? The war between the mages and templars only ended two years ago, any templars in the new Circles are bound to harbor anger toward mages and not all of them would spare a small child from that anger."

 

"I would make sure they would!" Cullen growled. "I will become a templar once more if it means protecting my child from herself."

 

"You can't do that, Cullen," Fiana objected. "After all this time, taking lyrium again will waste all your hard work breaking the addiction."

 

"Maker damn my addiction, Fiana!" he roared. "I will not let my child be in the company of blood mages so that she herself can join their ranks!"

 

"You know that Phoebe would never practice blood magic!" Fiana argued. "We have taught her the evils of blood magic and made sure she knows that it is wrong!"

 

"Have we? Fiana she is only three years old; how can we be sure she knows?"

 

"Do you really think Dorian would allow someone to teach the Inquisitor's child blood magic? He knows we would murder him for it."

She continued when Cullen sighed. "I know Dorian would never teach her blood magic, but that doesn't mean she won't learn it elsewhere. I don't trust Tevinter."

"But you trust me, don't you?" Fiana whispered.

 

Cullen was silent for a moment. Finally he let out a long breath and met Fiana's searching eyes. "Not on this matter, I don't."

 

Fiana's throat closed and her eyes stung with tears, but she stayed silent and refused to let them fall.

 

"Do what you will, Fiana. Maker knows I have never been able to stop you before," Cullen murmured, storming passed the frozen Fiana and out of his office.

 

Slowly the tears flowed from her eyes as the door slammed behind her. She crumpled into a chair in front of the desk and buried her face in her hands. Lost in her tears, Fiana didn't hear the door open or the pitter patter of small feet on the stone until a small hand touched her knee.

 

Fiana lifted her head to meet the golden eyes of her daughter.

 

"Mommy, I won't do the trick anymore," she cried, tears running down her reddened cheeks. "If I don't do the trick, Daddy won't hate me right?"

 

"Oh, Phoebe..." Fiana lifted the girl into her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl's small frame. "Daddy doesn't hate you even if you use magic. He just worries about you, baby."

 

"But he was yelling and he didn't even look at me when walked out," Phoebe sniffed.

 

"You heard us fighting?" Phoebe nodded, sniffling. Fiana stroked the girls auburn curls soothingly. "Don't worry, Phoebe, Daddy still loves you and me. I'm sorry you had to hear that. But you should have been listening to Uncle Varric's stories instead."

 

Mother and daughter were quiet for a few minutes, both stewing in their own sadness. Until Phoebe broke the silence, no longer crying.

 

"Am I going to live with Uncle Dorian now?" She asked, looking up at her mother.

 

"For a little while," Fiana said. She was not sending her child to the Circle with Vivienne. "Uncle Dorian is going to teach you how to use magic so you don't have to stay with Aunt Vivienne."

 

Phoebe wrinkled her nose. "I don't like Aunt Vivienne; she's mean to me."

 

"Don't worry, amatus," she said, using the word she heard Dorian use for Bull. "You won't live with Aunt Vivienne. Will you be okay living with Uncle Dorian?"

 

"Mmm…" Phoebe thought for a moment before smiling brightly. "I think so! I love Uncle Dorian and I want to learn how to do all the tricks he does."

 

"Then you'll live with Uncle Dorian for a while, my sweet girl." Fiana brushed her daughter's auburn curls from her forehead and kissed it. "Now let's go pack your stuff, hm?"

 

"Packing, packing!" Phoebe chanted, jumping off her mother's lap and skipping from the room.

 

/ / /

 

A few days later, Fiana was waiting with Phoebe in the great hall of Skyhold. Dorian was due any moment to pick Phoebe up and take her with him back to Tevinter.

 

As if on cue, the mage appeared in a puff of smoke, flamboyant as always.

 

"Hello, Inquisitor!" He sang, bowing low from the hip. "Is my charge ready for travel?"

 

"Yes, Uncle Dorian!" Phoebe cried, clapping her hands excitedly.

 

"Just… give me one moment with her Dorian," Fiana requested. At Dorian's nod, she kneeled in front of her daughter and straightened her scarf. "Remember to listen to Uncle Dorian, Phoebe. And no disappearing acts. Tevinter isn't like Skyhold; not everyone will help you find your way."

 

"Yes, Mommy, I promise." Phoebe's bottom lip trembled slightly. She looked around sadly. "Where's Daddy?"

 

Fiana sighed. Cullen had disappeared for the past few days, not even returning to sleep. Fiana had slept alone in their big bed with Phoebe curled against her. Just as she was about to say she didn't know, Cullen's voice sounded behind Fiana.

 

"I'm right here," Cullen called, walking into the building. His stubble was more prominent and there were dark circles under his eyes. He kneeled as Phoebe ran to him, wrapping his arms around her securely. "I'm sorry for making you think I hated you, pup. I could never hate you."

 

Cullen caught Dorian's eye. "If you teach her anything she doesn't need to know, I will end you myself, Tevinter."

 

Dorian acknowledged Cullen's threat with a bow of his head. "I understand, Commander."

 

"Okay, pup. It's time for you to go. Uncle Dorians needs to be back for a Magister's meeting soon," Cullen said, hugging his little girl. "Mommy and I will come visit you often."

 

"Promise?" Phoebe looked up at her parents, a glimmer of hope shining in her golden eyes.

 

"We promise, baby," Fiana said, choking back tears.

 

"I will take care of her well, my friends," Dorian promised. "After all, my life depends on it."

 

"I know, Dorian… I know," Fiana sighed.

 

"Well… come along then, Phoebe." Dorian beckoned Phoebe to him, resting a hand on her head when she came to stand next to him. "We have much to learn in so little a time."

 

Dorian mumbled a few unintelligible words and threw a crystal on the pair's feet, a puff of dark purple smoke appearing. The pair disappeared along with the smoke, leaving a faint scorch mark on the castle floor.

 

Fiana shifted off her knees and wrapped her arms around them, burying her head in her arms. She shuddered violently, trying to hold back the sobs that were threatening to spill from her lips. Biting her lip, she rocked back and forth on the castle floor. Did she do the right thing, sending her only child away like that? Was there something else she could have done? Should she had sucked up her own personal feelings and sent Phoebe to the Circle with Vivienne?

 

A gentle hand on her shoulder broke her reverie. Fiana looked up to find Cullen sitting next to her, a pained look on his shadowed face.

 

"Did I do the right thing, Cullen?" Fiana's lip trembled. "I miss her so much already…"

 

"You did what you thought was right, love," Cullen said in a soothing tone. He took Fiana into his arms and stroked her hair lovingly. "I am sorry for getting so angry with you."

 

"No, Cullen, it's fine. You're just as worried about her as I am…" Fiana wiped her eyes and clutched a fistful of his shirt. Her other hand touched his. "We'll go visit her next week."

 

"If that's what you want, my love," Cullen promised. He rested his head atop hers, rejoicing in the feeling of holding her for the first time in three days. Maker, how he had missed her. "You know, Fiana, this might be a good time to try for a sibling, don't you think?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i didnt really portray Phoebe as a toddler but eh.... her parents are the Inquisitor and Cullen I think she's a super educated toddler. and no, "flamboyant" was not a dig at Dorian being gay

**Author's Note:**

> um so i might write a follow up?????? idk


End file.
